Constitution Day is celebrated every
September 17th to mark and honor the date that the US Constitution was first
signed back in 1787, as well as citizen's rights and obligations related to
this important document.

To understand the history and the
importance of Constitution Day, we should briefly look into the Constitution
itself.

Brief Look at History of US Constitution

The Constitution is probably the most
important document in the US history. The Constitution first defined the USA in
the regulatory sense and made the union a functional, united country.

On July 4, 1776, the founding fathers
of the United States signed the Declaration of Independence, which ended the
country's colonial status. However, it wasn't until September 17th, 1787
that a true government was formed, turning 13 former British colonies into a
unified country. That happened by the act of signing the Constitution.

It could be said that while the Fourth of
July represents the birthday of the American nation, September 17th is the
birthday of the American government. That is why Constitution Day, which is
celebrated every year on September 17th, is such an important holiday.

Short History of Constitution Day

Contrary to its importance,
Constitution Day is quite a novel national holiday.

Constitution Day evolved from the
so-called ''I Am An American Day'' which was celebrated since May 1940. The
goal of this day was to create an opportunity for all those who had become
American citizens through the coming-of-age or naturalization process to
celebrate their belonging to the American nation.

In 1952, the event was moved to
September 17th, correlating it with the signing of Constitution. The name of
the holiday was changed to "Citizenship Day". The essence of the
holiday remained the same as with the "I Am An American Day", except
that there was some more emphasis on citizens, their rights and obligations as
a part of the American Republic.

In 1997,Louise Leigh founded a nonprofit organization
called Constitution Day, Inc. to help support recognition of the importance of
the holiday, as well as to emphasize the value and greatness of the
Constitution itself.

Finally, in 2004. West Virginia
senator Robert Byrd prompted that ''Citizenship Day'' should be changed to
''Constitution Day and Citizenship Day''. The former "Citizenship
Day" was primarily focused on new American citizens, but Byrd reasoned
that every established American citizen should also celebrate the most
important legal document of the United States of America. In May 2005, the
United States Department of Education backed the Byrd's amendment that was
going to apply the holiday in all schools that were receiving federal funds of
any kind. Since then, Constitution Day has a special place in the US public
education system. The tradition of honoring the Constitution continues.